MORE “HOWLERS.”

Waikato Times, Volume 103, Issue 17385, 23 April 1928, Page 15

MORE “HOWLERS.”

FROM EXAM. PAPERS. TEACHERS AND POPULARITY. Tn my room stands.a stupendous monument to industry, three piles, each three and a half feet high, of Worked examination papers-—thous-ands of papers, representing hours of tori by luckless victims of the Intermediate, 1f)27, writes, .T. de B. in the Morning Herald. “Arc not some of them amusing?” one is always being asked. You might not expect much humour in parsing and analysis, hut an echo of the Psalmist finds it way into a description of “liars” as “common noun, masculine voice,” while another litlingly calls jt an “improper noun.” But there is more scope for howlers in the composition, which is supposed to be two pages long (and. is anything up to nine pages!) on one of three given subjects.

The most popular of these subjects was, “Things seen during a walk in the bush.” It was a soft snap for the unimaginative, and had plenty of possibilities for the creative mind. I read of lions, tigers, fairies, cannibals, and so on. Some, however, found it duller than that, but made the best, of it. For instance; “We Australians are proud of our bush, and although there are few wild animals in it, we are quite satisfied to spend our time walking in it.” There are many earnest Nature students of “the beautiful foliage of the birds,” etc. “The native flora one passes is extremely interesting and pretty, and in some cases economical. We , have our thrills,too; —

"Some people would be rather afraid if they saw a fox or a reptile of the lower class approach them.” “As the snake came nearer I began to study it, it was long and narrow.” “Then look deep among the ferns and one is held by the glittering eye of a rabbit." "Many emus, rabbits, oppossums, and squirrels glided past.’’ Appreciation of Beauty. There is real appreciation of beauty, though ill-expressed somelimes : “We caught up to father and mother, and they were picking some beautiful flowers. They were swaying in the nice cool breeze.” “When one goes for a walk in the evening no sound is beard. The blinking moon lights up the bush.” “Coming back in the dusk all is quiet and peaceful, as if nature has now retired, leaving everything peaceful.” “The Australian bush is a place where anyone may go and commune with the Almighty, be he saint, criminal or foreigner.” “Then there arises to your ears the. bellowing of a cow which has lost her calf, this, with the gurgling warble of Ihe bellbirds and magpies, adds to the beauty of the walk.”

“The bush is full of many wonderful things, and when one goes out one sees .1 fresh spot or beauty and intrigue on every occasion.”

The bush has its insects, too. There is plenty of outspoken comment on these, but the following extracts might seem to the frivolous mind to hint at troubles: — “An hour or so In tho bush Is a very pleasant pastime, and helps one to forget all other worries and troubles by the numerous insect's and other things of interest found there.”

“What poet could describe the joys which have infested me whilst walking in tlie cool shade of tho trees?” “We turned towards home, talcing with us the sights of the hush, and tho things that live in it.” “My enjoyable walk had been disturbed, so I decided to homeward bound.” On a Waterless Island. The next most popular subject was “Marooned on a Waterless Island.” Many hundreds took refuge in ideas culled from “Treasure Island” and “The Ancient Mariner," which works they had been obliged to “swot up” for the intermediate. The imaginative, however, let fancy have its way. Page after page did the examiner read of gruesome details of awful sufferings. Here a victim was marooned in company witli two cannibals; there an innocent lad was left to rot by pirates; several gave their personal experiences down to their last moments and dying utterances. One began politely: “It has never been my pleasure to be marooned on a waterless island.” Anottfcr, delicately: “Feeling very miserable, I began to feel an emptiness in my neck. I looked for food, but it was no use.” “ft is very easy,” says another, “for anyone to become marooned on an island without water. Sometimes it cannot he helped.” The best thing, in the circumstances, most of them agreed, was to forage round, and you would probably have tiie luck of the youth who, according to one writer, “came back with a handful of cocoanuts.” The most difficult and least-chosen subject was “A popular teacher, and why he or she is popular.” Much wise advice to teachers is, I fear, lost, to the world in Lliese pages. The gist of it may be.summed up, however — “Teacher to be popular with his pupils must be fair inside and outside.” “I like him because he is very honest . . . and he never ill-treats a person unless there is absolute necessity for it.” “A popular teacher is shown great /espect by all—that is, provided he keeps himself respectable." “In examinations be must mark fairly and not give some more marks than others.” It is a hard life, but occasionally we who try to inspire others with a love of literature do get our due, as in my closing extract: "He is an Englisti master, and, like other English masters, has a much softer heart titan the men who teach mathematics."